Field Trips, Soccer, Riding Lessons and Thanksgiving in Moab

 We started the month with some fun school trips to the Planetarium and the kids museum.  Zane really enjoyed the planetarium showing the stars in the night sky.

Planetarium

Kids Museum

changing a tire

digging in the dirt

November was also the end of the soccer season.  Zane really enjoyed learning the game and looks forward to playing again in the spring.

The last game he was the sportsmanship winner!!

playing goalie

his favorite position

In November, both Zane and Jess started riding lessons.  We are having fun, especially Mom is enjoying some horse time again.

Riding Splash

getting to trot

For Thanksgiving we headed to Moab, UT to meet up with family.  Zac, Jen, Keanan and Kyla came from the Bay, my parents drove up from AZ and Cindy and Jenny drove up from Mesa Verde to all stay in Moab for a few days.  We enjoyed a great time riding mountain bikes, jeeping, hiking and hanging out with family.

Warming up for the first ride

Zane and Casey warming up on the pump track

Kyla and Jen

Zane coming down the rocky trail

Zac

Zane, Kyla, Keanan, Casey, Zac and Jen

Casey

Mom and I hanging out 

Casey and Zane crossing the Colorado River

Starting the second day in the Manti-La Sal National Forest

This section was gnarly and the pictures don't do justice to just how steep and rocky this section was.

Keanan

Zac

Casey

Zane

We did a jeep trail out to the bottom of the Gemini bridges(arches).  The trail wasn't too crazy, but we did do some tougher side trails.

Climbing in the beginning, you can see the highway below where we started

Gooney Bird Rock

The Jeeps

playing

Grandpa taking the side route

Can you spot Kyla and Zane at the Gemini bridges?

Zane and Mom

The day after Thanksgiving we did a little hiking in Arches National Park.

Family photo at balanced rock

Cousins: Kyla, Zane, Keanan

Casey, Zane, Grandpa, Jess at Pine Tree Arch

Landscape Arch through the fog

Pops and Zane

Playing Corn Hole with Grandpa

Grandpa, Zane and Nana

Zac, Cindy, Mom and Jess

After we left Moab, we headed south to see some of amazing local sites that my sister recommended.  It was an awesome day of driving through geological features and visiting ancient native ruins.  

First up was the Butler Wash Ruins

Next was the Mule Canyon Ruins

Driving the Moki Dugway-you drop 1,200 feet in 3 miles!

Casey at the top

the road winding down

you can see the road in the bottom of the valley

Next we did the Valley of the Gods- in my opinion way better than Monument Valley.

And last we went to The Goosenecks State Park

The San Juan River winds through this deep canyon

We had a wonderful trip, sadly we never got a full group photo but we made some great memories together.